Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Creighton.
Hi Andre, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
After seeing routine traffics stop repeatedly turn for the worse, Jazz Hampton, Mychal Frelix, and I came together to begin the discovery of how to be a part of tangible and sustainable change. Mychal Frelix and I grew up in the Saint Paul community, knowing the Castile family very well. About 20 years ago, I was a third-grader at J.J. Montessori school, where Philando was employed during 2016. We directly saw the affects his murder had on the J.J. Hill and Saint Paul communities, and it truly impacted us in ways not many understand. Fast forward, four years later and the death of George Floyd placed its unfavorable stamp on Minnesota as of the epi-center of traffic stops gone wrong and the need for people’s rights to be protected. So we finally came together and decided that while we have been a part of the peaceful protest and the vigils, we each have unique professional skills to build a formidable business to disrupt the issues that occur during these routine traffic stops. Jazz Hampton, a Minnesota attorney, worked at a multi-national law firm, Mychal Frelix, a tech sales guru working for Sony Electronics, and myself, an accountant with a plethora of experience working in the public and private accounting sector, at Lurie, Baker Tilly, and Cargill.
In May of 2021, TurnSignl launched its minimal viable product in Minnesota. Minnesota-based TurnSignl is an on-demand, real-time service that provides 24/7 legal guidance from attorneys to drivers while their camera records the interaction. When drivers are stopped by law enforcement officers or involved in a car accident, they can access live video chat with an attorney at the press of a button or voice command. TurnSignl attorneys are vetted and trained to de-escalate interactions between police, drivers, and passengers. Since May, we launched the mobile app in Georgia and California. Our goal is to expand our market presence nation-wide. TurnSignl has the opportunity to be a monumental service; and with every download, we are one step closer to the reality of:
(1) Protecting drivers’ civil rights.
(2) De-escalating the interaction.
(3) Ensuring that both the driver and law enforcement return home safely to their families.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When we first launched, our marketing was tailored more to the Business-to-Consumer (B2C), as we thought it would take more time for our Business-to-Business (B2B) model to mature. However, we learned following our launch that many businesses had a strong appetite for providing TurnSignl to their employee base as a perk or benefit. The companies whom have purchased and on-boarded TurnSignl for their employee base were enticed by the opportunity to keep their employees safe while driving to work or their kids to a weekend event, and the great PR for them in their respective marketplace. TurnSignl helps them genuinely show that they care about their employees and will help increase their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
Our biggest challenge is to learn the behaviors of our consumers, as behaviors vary across the different markets. We have learned a lot in the first two markets (Minnesota & Georgia); we look forward to expediting our learnings in our largest market yet; California. We’ve seen an uptick in our user base, and clearly people are learning about our service offering; however, as a maturing start-up we are still challenged with market awareness across Minnesota, Georgia and California.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Minnesota-based TurnSignl is an on-demand, real-time service that provides 24/7 legal guidance from attorneys to drivers while their camera records the interaction. When drivers are stopped by law enforcement officers or involved in a car accident, they can access a live video chat with an attorney at the press of a button or use of voice command. TurnSignl attorneys are vetted and trained to de-escalate interactions between police, drivers, and passengers through a third-party vendor. TurnSignl is an excellent opportunity to protect your teenage drivers, who may have limited knowledge of what to do during these roadside interactions. The mobile app was built based on what we have experienced as African American men, but the app is for people of all walks of life regardless of race.
My role with TurnSignl is the Chief Financial Officer. I oversee our finances, accounting, and operations. I am challenged every day to drive operational results and key performance indicators by formulating our platform and user base data to tell a story that correlates with our financial metrics.
Brand-wise, I am most proud of the sophistication of our mobile capabilities. The ability to connect a driver with an attorney in seconds is state of the art and innovatively will change the possibility of the legal industry and outcomes for drivers, law enforcement, and municipalities. We have already received feedback from a couple of users who have used the app and how it de-escalated the traffic stop. It is really cool when your dreams come to reality, and hopefully, this technology will save lives.
Our mobile app subscription costs $6.99 per month or $60 per year; to keep people safe during the most stressful events. However, if you make less than our pre-determined income threshold or live in Brooklyn Center, you can get the app for free. Just follow the in-app prompts. If you are a business, contact us for pricing and join other companies (Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Minnesota Vikings, Lurie, LLP, iHeart Radio, and others).
What matters most to you?
Leaving the world in a better place than I received it by creating transcendent opportunities for our communities. When you take the elevator up, you have to make sure you send it back down for others – that is what we are doing with TurnSignl.
Pricing:
- $6.99/mo
- $60/year
- Free
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.turnsignl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turnsignl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TurnSignl
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TurnSignl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1Mxi3ljUWqBe2EIDljsyg
